


it might be time

by dimension



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Jealous Bellamy, Light Angst, Post-Season/Series 06, Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:22:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimension/pseuds/dimension
Summary: It was bad enough being in love with her, but Bellamy could always tell himself Clarke would never feel the same. It brought him some comfort. But knowing there’s a universe where things do work out between them, and that it’s not the universe he lives in, well that nearly crushes him. It means he might have had a chance with Clarke, and somewhere along the line he blew it.—Canon AU. Bellamy and Clarke go into the anomaly to save Octavia. They end up in a strange situation.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 32
Kudos: 375





	it might be time

After the demise of Octavia, they hold a meeting with all essential personnel in the watchtower of the palace, where they have a clear view of the outer fields of Sanctum.

There, Hope provides them with three vital pieces of information: Octavia is not actually dead, she’s just been sent into the anomaly; Bellamy can go save her, but he can’t go alone; it must be Clarke who accompanies him.

The first two instructions are met with agreeable nods, but the third causes controversy to arise. Most in the room make their disapproval known in mutters just loud enough for Clarke to hear.

_She can’t be trusted, _they say. _Shouldn’t it be Echo who goes with him?_

Clarke ignores the snide comments.

Hope holds her ground, insisting the only way to get Octavia back is if Bellamy and Clarke search for her together. And since the anomaly is a scientific mystery to the rest of them, they have no argument to stand on.

Clarke feels no loyalty to Octavia, but she has always felt a responsibility towards doing the right thing. And, even greater, she feels a responsibility towards Bellamy’s happiness. He deserves to be content after all the sacrifices he’s made for others.

So, since it absolutely has to be her, Clarke agrees to help.

She clutches Bellamy’s hand tightly as they walk into the green foggy waves of the anomaly, locks eyes with him as they turn to particles, and now they’re here.

It takes a minute for them to realize where exactly _here _is. Before they left, Hope had warned them the anomaly would send them to an alternate universe, but neither of them expected to be back on this world. Where the birds chirp, the evergreens tower, the night sky holds their childhood home.

Earth.

A wave of nostalgia creates a dull ache in Clarke’s stomach. Fresh wind pushes gently at her hair, the same gust rustles the branches and bristles of the trees around her.

When she looks to Bellamy, he’s on his knees, fingers touching the soil like he can’t quite believe it’s real. The look on his face is reverential.

The configuration of trees and plants around them is distinctly familiar, it clicks into a nearly forgotten memory in Clarke’s mind. She knows exactly where they are. Bellamy must realize it at the same time, because he looks to her. They exchange gleeful smiles, then break into a run. They travel forty feet south, against the moss and to the edge of the tree line.

They are met with the sight of the camp known as Arkadia. It sits in the clearing they overlook.

The last time Clarke saw Arkadia it was lifeless, barren, and charred to the ground. The fallen space station currently before them is surrounded by tents and bustling with activity. People roam freely.

Clarke remembers a time when she stood down there after the battle at the dropship, how she ran into Bellamy’s arms when she saw him alive and safe. Another time, she left him standing alone just outside the gates, even though he begged her to stay. She thought her life was so complicated then, but it almost seems simple in hindsight.

Things could have been so different between Bellamy and her if she had stayed after the irradiation of Mount Weather. She might have realized sooner just how important he is to her.

It took being sentenced to six years without Bellamy for Clarke to figure out just how deep her love for him ran. And then, perhaps as punishment for not realizing what she had sooner(as if six years away from him wasn’t punishment enough)he came down in love with someone else. Clarke was barely a memory in his mind.

But there’s no changing the past.

Clarke’s fingernails dig into her palms. They’re here on a mission, not for reflection.

“I can’t believe we’re back here,” Bellamy mutters, breaking the silence.

“We should go down there,” Clarke says. “Maybe there’s a clue that could lead us to Octavia.”

“Okay,” Bellamy responds. “Let’s go.”

There’s something in his tone. She can’t quite read him the way she used to be able to, but she’ll always know Bellamy intimately, enough so to tell that he might be just as unwell as her.

* * *

Campfire smoke fills Bellamy’s lungs. The scent is so distinctive when spawning from earthen wood. It’s different from the chemical flames Monty would concoct on the ring, or the sweet aroma of fires made from the flora on Sanctum.

Bellamy much prefers the smoke of Earth. He savors each breath he takes as him and Clarke trek through the woods, around the back of Arkadia.

It’s strange to be back on Earth. His senses are overwhelmed. The smell of soil, the rustling of leaves, his blistered finger hovering over the gun strapped to his hip — it’s all a stinging nostalgia of a life that feels so far away, of when he fell to the earth, when him and Clarke ran the dropship, leading together. It’s the way things were meant to be. It feels so right to be walking through these woods with her again.

Clarke is a few steps ahead of him. She leads the way with such comfort and expertise that Bellamy can’t help but feel like she belongs here.

Bellamy has always known Clarke is beautiful. On Sanctum, where everything is warm hues of orange and yellow, she blends in like the rest of them. But in the ripe green, the dark brown, the gray fog of Earth — Clarke’s golden hair stands out in contrast. It’s like she’s the center of the planet. Her presence demands attention. Bellamy can’t draw his eyes away from her.

Guilt aches in his stomach.

He just ended things with Echo, not even a full day ago. He should be miserable over cutting off a relationship that lasted years of his life, not hopelessly pining over the woman of his dreams who will never return his feelings.

But Clarke was always the issue between Echo and him, aside from their general incompatibility. Even when Bellamy thought Clarke dead for years, she was still a heavy barrier in his relationship with Echo. Because they both knew Bellamy could never feel for anyone as strongly as he felt for Clarke.

Bellamy shakes his head to break out of his thoughts.

He trusts Clarke more than anyone else who could have come with him on this mission, but she’s also a huge distraction for him. Right now, he needs to focus on finding Octavia.

They enter Arkadia quietly through the back, stepping into the metal walls of the space station. To remain unnoticed, they keep to empty hallways and dark corners, all the while searching for any traces of Octavia.

Bellamy is on alert when Clarke wraps her hand around his bicep, tugging him into a side closet. She places her index finger over her lips, and Bellamy comprehends when she’s trying to tell him: _be quiet._

He takes silent breaths when he hears footsteps approaching. Muffled voices slowly become clearer.

_“Monty, dude — you swore you’d help me start a new batch of moonshine tonight.”_

Bellamy stiffens, recognizing the voice.

_“C’mon Jasper. If I bail on Harper there’s no way she’ll give me another chance.”_

A lump works it’s way into Bellamy’s throat.

He figured all his old friends were alive in this world the second he saw Arkadia. But to hear them living before him is another thing entirely. He wants to run out, to see Monty and Jasper in front of him. But Hope had warned them against interacting with people inside the anomaly, so Bellamy stays where he is.

_“Fine. But you owe me.”_

_“Name whatever you want, I’ll get it for you.”_

_“Even contraband?”_

_“Of course.”_

Their footsteps fade away.

Bellamy swallows the lump in his throat.

“It’s nice to know there’s a world where they’re happy and together,” Clarke mutters. “That’s the way it always should have been.”

Bellamy bites his cheek. Jasper always deserved better than the bitter ending he got, and Monty deserved to grow old with his friends.

“I wonder what’s different here,” Bellamy says, almost to himself.

Clarke’s eyebrows furrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Hope said this is an alternate universe. So what’s altered? Did Praimfaya never happen here? Or did we make peace with the grounders?”

The possibilities are endless.

“Maybe it’s me,” Clarke suggests. “I mean, in our world I ruin everyone’s happiness. So maybe I don’t exist here. That’s why things seem so nice.”

Bellamy frowns.

“That can’t be it.”

He wants to say something nice and poetic, about how she brings him joy, how he’d be dead or hopeless without her, but the words don’t come out. Clarke’s eyes catch on something outside the closet.

“Is that a...” Clarke trails off.

Bellamy follows her gaze, to a shiny lens hooked in the corner where wall meets ceiling.

“A camera,” Bellamy says. “If Octavia has been here, it’ll be on recording.”

“Where are the tapes kept?”

Bellamy tilts his head.

“Probably the Chancellor’s office. Which is heavily guarded at night.”

The sun was low when they entered Arkadia over an hour ago, which means it’s undoubtedly dark out by now.

“We should leave here and camp out for the night,” Clarke says. “We’ll come back for the tapes tomorrow morning.”

“Okay,” Bellamy agrees.

He’s frustrated they won’t find Octavia tonight, but he still has hope.

Clarke and him weave their way back through the hallways of Arkadia.

When they leave the space station, it’s dark outside. Various lampposts illuminate the ground. Bellamy spots of flash of blonde in the distance. His eyes widen as he recognizes the girl immediately.

“Look,” Bellamy says, nudging Clarke with his elbow. “You _are _alive in this world.”

Clarke’s alternate self stands twenty feet away from them. She’s wearing a blue shirt and black pants, her hair sways past her shoulders as she smiles up at the man next to her. She looks just like Bellamy remembers before the death wave.

“You are too,” Clarke says.

Bellamy was so distracted by Clarke that he hadn’t even recognized the man standing next to her. It’s him, or at least the version of himself from this universe. Bellamy blinks. It’s odd to see himself standing there.

Clarke and him watch themselves in silence for a moment. The two of them look so young and happy, their smiles not marred by tragedy.

The alternate Bellamy reaches out, grabs the alternate Clarke by the face, and leans into her. They meet in a passionate kiss.

Oh god. Realization hits Bellamy. They’re _together _in this world. He flushes a deep red. Of course they’re together. This world is practically perfect.

Clarke shuffles, taking a careful step away from him.

The kiss is long and deep and familiar. It’s clearly something that has happened many times before, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be ending any time soon.

Bellamy clears his throat.

“We, um — we should probably go,” He stammers.

He purses his lip. God, this is so awkward.

“Yeah,” Clarke responds shortly.

She glances at him, then immediately looks away, like she’s suddenly remembered the alternate versions of themselves are making out twenty feet away from them.

Bellamy’s eyes drift to Clarke’s mouth, which is a really bad idea, because now he’s thinking about how pink and soft her lips look, how much he’d like to make them swollen, how jealous he is that the Bellamy from this universe gets to kiss Clarke.

Bellamy shifts his gaze to the sky to control his thoughts.

“I’ll lead the way,” he informs.

They walk for fifteen minutes in painful silence, until they’re a mile away from the camp.

Bellamy sets up their tent while Clarke builds a fire. They exchange as few words as possible while they eat their bland rations. Every time Bellamy glances at her, he thinks about it, about _them. _Clarke hasn’t even looked him in the eyes since they’ve left Arkadia.

When they decide to go to bed, Bellamy becomes hyperaware of the fact that they have to share a small tent. He suddenly wishes he had packed his own tent. They’ve slept in close proximity before, it’s never been an issue for him. He’d even say he enjoys it, being so close to Clarke in the most vulnerable state. But now, as he lays on his back in the tent with Clarke right next to him, he can’t sleep. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the clear image of them kissing. They looked so perfect, intertwined with each other.

Clarke can’t sleep either, Bellamy figures out, because she tosses every few minutes.

After her ninth turn, she settles on her back and huffs.

“It doesn’t have to be weird, right?” Clarke asks.

Bellamy swallows.

“What doesn’t?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Bellamy grimaces. “It’s not weird. I’m fine.”

“You’re not. You’re all stiff and awkward.”

“I am not,” he grumbles.

“You are. And I am too. Because — fine. Okay. Maybe it _is_ a little weird that we’re together in this world.”

Clarke thinks it’s weird? Bellamy knew it, but it still stings a little to hear the words.

“Anything you wanted to add to that?” Bellamy asks gruffly. “Or did you just want to point out the tension?”

“Bellamy,” Clarke whines. “We’re both adults. We don’t have to act so uncomfortable about this.”

Bellamy chews on his bottom lip. It’s not so simple for him, seeing them together and then _choosing _to get over it. But he can pretend for her sake.

“Okay,” he relents.

“Okay. Good. I’m glad we got that out of the way.” Clarke turns onto her side. “Goodnight then.”

“Night,” he responds.

She’s asleep in minutes, warmth radiating from her as she takes quiet steady breaths.

Sleep doesn’t come so easily to Bellamy.

In the morning, Clarke eagerly makes eye contact and discusses their plan for the day. Bellamy figures their talk worked for her.

He wishes he could say the same for himself, but he can’t. Because when Clarke bites her lip in concentration while tying her boots, he can’t seem to look away.

It was bad enough being in love with her, but Bellamy could always tell himself Clarke would never feel the same. It brought him some comfort. But knowing there’s a universe where things _do _work out between them, and that it’s not the universe he lives in, well that nearly crushes him. It means he might have had a chance with Clarke, and somewhere along the line he blew it.

The knowledge is torturous.

After they pack their things, they head for Arkadia. Their steps are more certain this time around, now that they know exactly where to go. They cross through the woods and into the camp with ease.

They’re near the Chancellor’s office, rounding a corner, when Bellamy spots the Bellamy from this world walking in their direction. Bellamy jumps back into the hallway they had just stepped out of. Before he can grab Clarke and pull her back with him, she is spotted.

“Clarke?” The alternate Bellamy calls.

Clarke’s eyes widen.

Bellamy watches from the shadows as the alternate Bellamy reaches Clarke, placing his hands on her hips and pulls her into him. Clarke’s hands fall onto his biceps. Bellamy seethes. He doesn’t want to see anyone but himself touch Clarke like that. Not even himself from another universe.

“What did you do to your hair?” The alternate Bellamy asks.

“I, uh- I cut it,” Clarke stammers.

A smile forms on the face of the alternate Bellamy. It’s smooth. Bellamy finds his fists clenching by his side.

“I see that,” the alternate Bellamy says, humor crinkling his eyes. “I mean, it looks beautiful. You always do.”

Clarke swallows.

“Thank you.”

“And where did you get this jacket from? I’ve never seen you wear it. Did you raid the grounder lost-and-found?” He teases.

“Something like that,” Clarke says.

The alternate Bellamy smoothly moves his hand until it hovers over Clarke’s stomach.

Bellamy’s face falls. No. It couldn’t be.

“And how is our little one?” The alternate Bellamy coos. Clarke goes pale. “I can’t wait to meet her. Don’t know how I’m gonna survive the next six months before she comes.”

Clarke is pregnant in this world.

Pregnant through Bellamy.

Bellamy goes slack jawed. He imagines their children running around, perfect mixtures of him and Clarke. Or, god, him getting her pregnant. Clarke would be such a good mother, and Bellamy would do anything for their children. Those kids would have the world.

A nervous smile forms on Clarke’s face. Bellamy aches to reach out for her, to help her, but he knows he shouldn’t reveal himself.

Then, the alternate Bellamy leans in swiftly, placing his lips onto Clarke’s.

Clarke’s makes a muffled surprised noise before responding.

Bellamy’s blood boils. Clarke’s first kiss with Bellamy was supposed to be with, well, _him. _Not this perfect version of himself that already has a Clarke of his own. Bellamy is so upset he sees red.

Thankfully, Clarke pulls away a second later. Her lips shine, and jealousy runs through Bellamy.

“I need to go and um...” Clarke trails off, breathless.

“Meet with your mom?” The alternate Bellamy finishes.

“Right,” Clarke says. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“Of course. I’ll see you at lunch.”

He drops one more quick kiss onto Clarke’s lips before stepping away.

Once he’s gone, Bellamy steps out of the shadows, careful not to stand too close to Clarke. He can barely handle being near her right now. He feels like he’s going to fall apart.

He can sense Clarke’s eyes on him.

“Bellamy—”

“We need to find those tapes,” Bellamy says. His voice is a little harsh, but he doesn’t think he could handle discussing why he’s upset. He’d probably end up accidentally confessing his love for her.“Then we can get Octavia and get out of here.”

Clarke’s shoulders fall.

“Right,” she responds curtly.

“Maybe you should lose the jacket,” Bellamy says. “It doesn’t exactly blend in.”

Clarke nods in agreement, shrugging her coat off. Bellamy regrets the suggestion immediately, because she’s wearing a black henley she must have gotten from the Sanctum storage, and it compliments her so well. He has to tear his eyes away.

* * *

It takes all of Clarke’s self control to keep focused on the mission.

Even then, her fingers keep drifting towards her lips and she can’t stop think about how she just kissed Bellamy. Not her Bellamy, of course, but still _a _Bellamy. Which is a pretty big deal for her considering she had been convinced she’d never get to experience kissing Bellamy in any capacity. Clarke had spent years imagining how their first kiss could happen. Not even in her wildest dreams did she conjure this scenario.

They reach the Chancellor’s office without any complications.

The room is completely unguarded when they slip inside. Bellamy heads straight for the tablet sitting at the desk. He takes a seat and fiddles with the device. Clarke stands behind him, watching.

Without thinking, she rests her hand on his shoulder. It’s an innocent action she’s done countless times, but Bellamy stiffens under her touch.

Clarke slowly removes her hand.

“Bellamy,” Clarke says. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He responds shortly, his jaw clenching.

“I thought we decided we wouldn’t let things be weird between us.”

“That was before you swapped spit with my doppelganger,” he grumbles.

Clarke blushes, crossing her arms.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she defends. “I had to go along with it.”

“I know,” Bellamy says, softening. He looks up at her. “It’s just a little strange for me, okay?”

“What can I do to make it better?” She asks.

“You don’t have to do anything.”

“I do,” Clarke insists. “I value our friendship so I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure things are good between us.”

Bellamy swallows.

“What are you suggesting?”

“I don’t know.” The idea forming in her brain is a bad one. She definitely shouldn’t say it. She’s going to. “Maybe _we_ should kiss,” Clarke says flippantly. Her heart is racing.

Bellamy’s face falls.

“You want to kiss me?” He asks slowly, like he thinks he’s heard her wrong.

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

“Well as of now, I’ve kissed you but you haven’t kissed me. And because of that things are weird between us. You can’t exactly take back a kiss, so the only way to fix it is to make it even.”

Bellamy looks affronted.

“No. No, absolutely not,” he answers, like even the thought is ridiculous. “I’m not kissing you for the sake of our friendship or to make things even between us.”

Clarke ducks her head, then looks away.

“It was just a suggestion. No need to sound so disgusted.”

There’s a sting in her stomach at the rejection. She hadn’t expected him to be so repulsed at the thought of kissing her.

“Wait,” Bellamy says, tapping at the tablet in his hands. “I think I found the video logs.”

Clarke blinks. Right. Octavia. The reason they’re here in the first place.

“Looks like there’s only a few cameras,” Bellamy mutters. “If I put the feed from the past few days on high speed, it should only take an hour to scrub through it.”

“Okay,” Clarke says, eager to have a task to distract them. “You watch the tapes for Octavia and I’ll keep lookout on the door.”

Bellamy agrees, and Clarke moves across the room, to the entrance. She leans her hip against the wall and peaks out the small square window on the door.

It’s going to be a long hour.

* * *

Bellamy’s eyes ache. He’s been watching the screen in front of him with intense focus for the past hour, and he hasn’t found any trace of Octavia’s presence. The videos halt, catching up to real time.

He glances at Clarke. She’s stands across the room, watching out the window.

An hour ago, she had offered to kiss him. It had been so tempting to say yes, it was probably the only chance he’d ever get to kiss her. But it was for the wrong reasons. He’d always imagined their first kiss being brought on by romantic declarations, not in the name of their platonic friendship.

“Clarke,” Bellamy calls out. She turns him. “The feed is done.”

“And?” She asks.

Bellamy’s face falls into his hands.

“No signs of Octavia.”

Clarke walks around him. He feels her warm hand on his back, rubbing up and down. It brings him some comfort.

“We’ll find her,” Clarke promises.

Her voice is so warm, so soothing, that Bellamy finds himself inclined to believe her.

“How?” He asks, completely at a loss. “We have no idea where she is and no clues to lead us to her.”

Clarke chews on her bottom lip for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Then, her eyes light up.

“Do you remember how to get to Lincoln’s cave?” She asks.

Bellamy’s lips part. If Octavia is anywhere on this planet, it’d have to be there.

“You’re a genius, Clarke.”

Clarke purses her lips, raising her eyebrows. “I have my moments.”

Bellamy stands, heads straight for the door, and opens it.

A young cadet stands on the other side. Bellamy’s face drops. They weren’t supposed to get caught.

“Chancellor Blake,” the cadet greets, nodding his head once.

Bellamy’s brows furrow.

“I’m Chancellor?” He asks without thinking.

The cadet’s eyes narrow. “Co-Chancellor, technically. You and Chancellor Griffin share theduties.”

Bellamy’s eyes widen. Of course they do. They’re happy, in love, and starting a family in this perfect world, why not throw Co-Chancellor’s in on top of that? Bellamy feels like he’s being mocked by this universe.

“He knows that,” Clarke says, stepping up from behind Bellamy.

“Chancellor Griffin,” the cadet says.

“Excuse Chancellor Blake,” Clarke smiles. “He’s not feeling well.”

Bellamy places a hand on his stomach and hunches over a little for emphasis.

“I see,” the cadet nods.

Bellamy lets out a relived breath.

“We’re on our way to medical,” Bellamy informs. The cadet steps out of the way, letting them pass.

“That was close,” Bellamy says once they’re out of earshot.

The floor below them creaks with every step they take. They leave Arkadia promptly.

* * *

It takes the remainder of the day to reach Lincoln’s cave. By the time they find it, the sky is black.

Flashlights guide their way through the foliage until they spot the entrance of the cave. Bellamy goes in first, and Clarke follows a few steps behind him. The cave they enter is empty, outside of a chain on the wall and a few blankets in a corner.

Clarke looks to Bellamy. His jaw clenches.

“Bellamy,” Clarke tries softly.

He storms outside.

Clarke waits a few seconds before following him. When she reaches him, his hands are clasped over his head as he paces in the moonlight. The night air is cool against her skin. Bellamy turns to Clarke, desperation is clear on his face.

“Where else can we look?” He asks, anger in his tone.

“Bellamy,” Clarke says softly.

“Where else could she have gone?”

“Bellamy.”

“Couldn’t she have made this any easier for us?”

“Octavia’s not here!” Clarke exclaims.

Bellamy runs a hand through his hair.

“She has to be,” he whispers. “I can’t let her be gone.”

“She’s not gone,” Clarke says, stepping closer to him. “She’s somewhere out there. But she’s not on this planet. I don’t know how I know, I can just feel it and I think you can too.”

“Then where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Clarke answers honestly. “But Hope said the anomaly is a portal to many different universes. We must have come to the wrong one.”

There’s a fallen tree log behind Bellamy’s feet. He slumps down, sitting on it.

“I wanted her to be here too,” Clarke says. “But this doesn’t mean you’ve lost her forever, it just means we have to keep trying.”

Bellamy looks exhausted.

“You’re right,” he concedes.

Clarke sits next to him.

“I guess that means we can finally leave this place,” Bellamy says.

“I think I’ll miss it here, in some strange way,” she responds. “I’ll always miss earth.”

Bellamy shakes his head. “It’s too perfect here. It’s weird.”

Clarke’s eyes shift to her lap. She takes a careful breath.

“You really find it that strange?” She asks.

“Find what strange?”

Warmth rises in Clarke’s face.

“The idea of you and me being together. Like, romantically.”

Bellamy clears his throat.

“Uh, I don’t know,” he says.

“You’re telling me you’ve never even thought about it?”

“Maybe a time or two.”

“And?”

“Are we really having _this_ conversation? Right now?” Bellamy asks, rubbing at the nape of his neck.

“Why not?” Clarke asks.

Then she remembers he has someone else. That’s probably a good enough reason not to talk about this. Her throat aches.

“Never mind,” Clarke mutters. “Sorry.”

“No it’s fine,” Bellamy says. “I have thought about it. I uh- I never thought you’d be interested.”

Clarke’s heartbeat picks up.

“I always assumed _you_ wouldn’t be interested,” she refutes carefully.

“Oh,” Bellamy responds, breathy. “So you’ve thought about it?”

More times than she’s willing to admit.

“Yeah,” Clarke shrugs. “I mean, we work well together, we get along, we’re both attractive. I thought maybe the right time would come.”

But that time never came. Clarke was sure it’d be their time when he returned afterPraimfaya. She waited six years in anticipation, and then he came down in love with someone else. Now she knows, it will never be the right time for them.

“We should go back to Sanctum now,” Clarke says sadly, breaking out of her thoughts. “Hope can show us how to get to another universe.”

Clarke stands and heads for the packs they left sitting at the entrance of the cave. She only makes it a few steps before Bellamy’s fingers wrap around her forearm. She turns to face him, and he stands in front of her, so close his breath tickles her skin. The look in his eyes is so intense she almost has to look away.

“Yes?” Clarke asks, breathless.

Bellamy’s eyes linger on her lips.

“You asked me if I’ve thought about you and me being together,” he says. Clarke stills in anticipation. “I have. Pretty much every day since you told me I wasn’t a monster. And a handful of times before that.”

Clarke stares up at him with wide eyes.

“What are you trying to say?” She asks.

“I’m in love with you,” Bellamy says quickly, and before she has an opportunity to react he presses his mouth onto hers, kissing her.

Clarke’s heart flutters as tingles run down her spine.

The kiss is like war, as if Bellamy is challenging her, daring her to back down. Clarke meets his passion tenfold. Her arms curl around his neck while his wrap around her lower back, drawing her closer and deepening the kiss. Her body is flush against his. Fireworks erupt low in her gut when his tongue swipes into her mouth.

Then Clarke remembers the people they left in Sanctum. Her stomach drops.

Bellamy chases her lips when she pulls away. Clarke settles on her heels. Bellamy’s mouth is swollen and shiny. His pupils are blown wide.

“I can’t be with someone who has someone else,” Clarke whispers, her bottom lip jutting out.

It hurt enough the first time it happened. This time, with Bellamy, it’d ruin her.

Bellamy chuckles, deep and smooth. Clarke feels anger rise inside her. Is he mocking her? She tries to pull away, shoving at his chest, but Bellamy holds her tightly. Frustration paints her cheeks pink.

“Let me go.”

“Hey,” Bellamy grits. “I’m not with anyone else. I promise.”

Clarke slowly relaxes.

“Oh,” she says. “You and Echo...?”

“We’re over. We never stood a chance in the first place, not when I was desperately in love with someone else.”

“Me?” Clarke asks, but she already knows the answer.

He’s in love with _her._ It feels unreal.

“Yeah. You.” A grin spreads on Bellamy’s face. “Anything you’d like to say to me?”

Clarke smiles.

“I’m in love with you too.”

Bellamy kisses her again.

Soon they’ll have to break apart, open the anomaly. The path that lies ahead is treacherous, and Clarke knows many more trials will come their way in the search for Octavia. But for now, Bellamy loves her, and he’s kissing her. And it’s more than enough.


End file.
